


Coming Home Tired

by Juli



Series: Coming Home [2]
Category: Die Hard (Movies), Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 05:50:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1733408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juli/pseuds/Juli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt's eager for John to return from Russia, but is a little intimidated at the idea of meeting John's son.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home Tired

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely related to another Die Hard story I posted to this archive, "Coming Home Late."

Matt hung back at the airport, letting Lucy McClane surge forward to greet her father and brother. Matt had talked to John on the phone and been told by the older man that he was ‘fine.’ Now that he’d laid eyes on John for himself, Matt could see signs of wear and tear in the fatigue on John’s face, as well as a number of cuts and abrasions marring his skin. John was walking under his own power and smiling, though, so he couldn’t be hurt too badly.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Matt let himself breathe again. 

John going off to Russia without him had been hard, but Matt made sure that his lover didn’t know that; he didn’t want John to think he was trying to hold him back. John tended to be touchy where his kids were concerned and his relationship with his son, Jack, had been particularly rocky. In fact, Matt had learned from John’s daughter, Lucy, that the two hadn’t communicated in years. Matt wasn’t sure what had prompted John to suddenly investigate into Jack’s whereabouts, but he’d learned from the whole ‘fire sale’ incident that you do not get in the way of John McClane and one of his kids. Ever. 

From the information that John had been given, Jack had been in legal trouble. Matt didn’t have any skills in that area, so when his offer to accompany John had been turned down, he hadn’t pressed too hard. John McClane was a man’s man; if his son hadn’t been in touch in years, no doubt he’d be a little surprised to find out that his dad had a lover his own age – and a male lover to boot. No way did Matt want to get in the middle of that.

Of course, John being John, the legal trouble he’d flown to Russia to address had turned into full-scale warfare against some very bad guys. Matt wasn’t a terror junkie, but it felt wrong to be thousands of miles away when John was neck-deep in assholes with automatic weapons.

The McClane family reunion taking place in front of him went on longer than Matt thought it would, given the general lack of sentimentality that seemed to go along with the family name. As the trio walked towards him, Matt got his first good look at John’s son. Jack, it turned out, was a chip off the old block. He was a bit taller than his dad, kept his hair short apparently by choice, and walked with the confidence of a man who knew how to handle himself. The first word that popped into Matt’s mind when he saw Jack was ‘competent.’ Whatever this young man set out to do, Matt had no doubt it would get done and done well.

In other words, Jack McClane was about as different from Matt as it was possible to be.

Matt could tell the minute that his observing gaze had been noticed; Jack’s eyes narrowed, much like his dad’s did when assessing something new. John’s reaction was even more restrained. His lips softened from their usual pursed position, which was John’s version of a genuine smile. The infamous McClane manic grin was generally reserved for when the cop was mowing down bad-guys and Matt much preferred the subtler version. 

Matt had been leaning against the car, allowing it to take as much weight as possible off of his bad leg. Despite a number of surgeries after the fire sale and even more physical therapy, he still had a tendency to limp when he was tired or had to walk too much. The airport tarmac was not a kind surface and Matt’s leg ached. As the McClanes approached, however, Matt pushed away from the car’s support; he wanted to meet John’s son while standing on his own two feet.

“Jack, this is Matt, the guy I told you about.” John said as soon as they were close enough. “And don’t give him a hard time about the bum leg, because he got it saving your sister’s life.”

Great, like Matt really wanted attention drawn to his disability. Not wanting to embarrass John in front of his son, Matt refrained from glaring at him, but felt even more awkward next to the specimen of male perfection that was Jack McClane.

“Hey.” Matt nodded carefully. His hand came up automatically, but he chickened out – what if Jack refused to shake? With that in mind, Matt changed the motion to a wave instead. Internally, he shook his head. How lame could he be?

“Hey.” Jack nodded solemnly back. “Thanks. For Lucy, that is.”

John McClane was many things, but a people person wasn’t one of them. He didn’t notice the awkwardness between Matt and Jack and instead steamrolled the family towards the car. “I’m starving; let’s hit a burger joint on the way home.”

“Burgers?” Lucy rolled her eyes. “I think we can aim a little higher, Dad. After all, Jack hasn’t been home in a while.”

“Fine.” John shrugged. His gaze rested on Jack and Matt could see that it was full of pride. “I guess I can do steak.”

While the McClane men stowed their bags in the rear of the SUV, Matt made to get into the backseat. It was a given that John would drive and he just figured that his lover would want one of his kids to sit up front with him. A hand on his arm stopped him.

“He’s been with Jack nonstop for days,” Lucy smiled at him. “I think you can have shotgun.”

Matt wasn’t so sure that Lucy was reading the situation right, but knew it was pretty much pointless to argue with a McClane. His leg had stiffened enough that it took effort to haul himself into the seat and bending his leg to fit inside was not a lot of fun. It was a good thing that Lucy had made him take the front seat; Matt could stretch his leg out more than he could have in the back.

John hopped in and didn’t seem surprised or dismayed at who else was seated in the front. He did take a look at Matt’s leg and pursed his lips. Not only had Matt stretched it out as far as possible, but he was also rubbing surreptitiously at his knee. John was a detective and trained to be observant, so Matt didn’t doubt for a second that the other man had realized he hadn’t brought his cane. He waited for a lecture, but to Matt’s immense relief, John didn’t say anything.

The ride to their favorite steak place was lively, with the McClane siblings making up for lost time by chatting about friends and mutual acquaintances. By the time they got to the restaurant, it was obvious to Matt that Jack had kept more in touch with Lucy than he had his dad, although clearly she’d been clueless about his status as a CIA operative too. Matt was glad, for John’s sake, that she hadn’t been in on that secret; John felt distanced enough from his kids the way it was.

It was early for dinner, but it wasn’t a fancy place and didn’t keep ‘fashionable’ hours. The food was good, reasonably priced and the owner gave a discount to police officers. That suited both of them, so Matt and John frequented the place a lot.

“McClane, you look like shit!” The owner also served as host and recognized them right away. “Matty, I thought you were keeping the big lug out of trouble?”

John smirked. “Matt’s too smart to even try, Bert.” He gestured towards Jack and Lucy. “This is my son, Jack, and daughter, Lucy.”

Bert stepped forward and shook each of the younger McClanes’ hands. “You’re a good-looking pair.” He winked at them. “Must take after your mother.”

“Not as much as I used to think.” Jack’s smirk was a lot like his father’s and Matt was glad to see it. John hadn’t talked about it much, but Matt knew that his estrangement from his son had bothered the older man.

“Your usual booth’s open,” Bert started herding them further into the restaurant. “Go sit and I’ll bring you something to start on, my treat.” He moved quickly away, putting action to words.

“They like you here.” Lucy’s comment wasn’t exactly a question.

“Yeah. One night the computers that the servers use to tell the kitchen what the orders are went down and Matt fixed them.” John explained as he led the group to their favorite spot. “Gotten the royal treatment ever since.”

Matt shrugged. “Was an easy fix.”

“For you, maybe.” John retorted. “Me, I don’t know what’s wrong with the old ticket way of doing things, but apparently I’m a paper-wasting dinosaur.”

“If it were up to you we’d still be sending smoke signals instead of using cell phones.” It was an old argument, but one that both of them still enjoyed having. Matt forgot for a moment that he had an audience made up of John’s kids. “Progress, John, it can be a wonderful thing.”

They’d reached the booth, with Lucy and Jack sharing one side and John and Matt sharing the other. Jack was giving them an incredulous look, but Matt didn’t know if it was because of the banter or the casual arm that John rested across Matt’s shoulders.

“Dad, you are a dinosaur and, Matt, you’re never going to get him to admit it,” Lucy took over the conversation. “That’s old news. I want to hear about Russia – and don’t leave anything out.”

Much to Matt’s surprise, both McClane men obliged her and telling of the story took them through the garlic bread that was Bert’s treat, the salads and most of the way through the steak. Matt was, at turns, appalled and impressed at what he heard. He’d thought the fire sale had been rough, but at least he’d been in his own country.

“What is it with you and helicopters?” Matt asked as the two men reached the conclusion.

John smirked. “Still disabled it with a vehicle; just had to be more creative about doing it. The bitch killed the copter herself - and her along with it.”

It was Jack’s turn to look appalled. “You mean you’ve done that before?”

Matt had been under the impression that John had told his son about the fire sale. Maybe he had, but knowing John, he’d shortened it considerably and toned down his own part. Determined that Jack know just how much of a hero his dad was, Matt launched into a full telling of the story, with Lucy chiming in on occasion. By the time he was through, they’d finished their steaks as well as dessert. 

“I can’t believe you dragged a civilian through all of that.” Jack said to his father when Matt was done, then looked at Matt. “I can’t believe you stayed with him after all of that.”

Relieved at a glimmer of respect in Jack’s eyes, Matt nonetheless just shrugged. “I found that it’s a lot safer with your dad than without him.”

John’s arm had made its way around Matt’s shoulders again and tightened a little at Matt’s words. “Besides, Matty’s a lot tougher than you’d think.” 

Matt was inordinately pleased at the praise and felt it keenly when John jerked his arm away. For a moment, Matt thought he’d done something wrong, but then realized that John was reaching for his cell phone; he must have had it on vibrate.

“Jesus, barely back in the country for an hour. . . .” John’s voice broke off as he looked at the number. “Gotta take this.”

He got up and left the booth, heading for the door. Knowing how poor the cell reception was in the restaurant, that didn’t surprise Matt. What did was that Lucy got up too.

“Gotta make a pit stop,” she explained sheepishly. “Be back in a minute.”

Matt was left in the booth alone with Jack and for several heartbeats there was an extremely uncomfortable silence. After a few moments, however, Jack cleared his throat and shifted on his seat.

“So,” he wouldn’t look Matt in the eyes. “You and my dad. . . .”

Seeing the other man’s discomfort gave Matt a little more confidence. “Yeah, me and your dad.”

“Shit.” Jack sighed explosively and leaned back in his seat. “Didn’t see that comin’. Never knew that about the man, that he’d hook up with a guy.”

When he replied, Matt kept his voice soft, but firm. Jack McClane was almost as intimidating as his father, but had the potential to hurt John in a way that a bad guy couldn’t. Matt couldn’t allow that to happen, no matter how daunting the man seemed. “I think there’s a lot you don’t know about your dad.” 

Jack scrubbed his hand across his face. “Yeah, I think I figured that out.” He grimaced and leaned forward. “I feel like an idiot saying this, but here goes – don’t you dare hurt him.”

Oddly enough, the statement didn’t cause Matt any discomfort. He’d already been threatened by a far more menacing McClane. “Don’t worry, your sister already covered that.”

His rueful comment prompted a full-out grin from the other man. “Let me guess, when Lucy was through, you felt the need to wear a cup for a week.”  
Matt smiled. “Your sister can be downright scary when she wants to be.”

“Ain’t that the truth, you should have grown up with her.” Jack agreed, but then his smile faltered. “But seriously, don’t hurt him, okay?”

“Like I could.” Matt looked away.

“He talked about you the whole way home.” Jack told him. “Joh-, Dad never even talked about my mom that much. I can tell he still doesn’t let many people in and obviously he has with you. You could cause him some real pain. So. Don’t hurt him, okay?”

Matt blinked. He knew that John had told Jack something about him, of course, but he’d talked a lot about him? That was unexpected. 

“I’ll make you a deal,” Matt couldn’t waste the opportunity. “”I won’t hurt him if you won’t disappear on him again. Stay in touch through Lucy if you have to, just don’t be a ghost again.”

Jack shook his head. “I work for the CIA, Matt. Sometimes it can be dangerous for me to contact people.”

For the first time since John left for Russia, Matt felt like he was on solid ground. “I’m a consultant for Langley, my security clearance is probably higher than yours.” Matt smirked at Jack’s obvious surprise. “I can set you up with a phone and email account that even your CIA friends can’t trace. That way you can stay in touch with your family no matter what happens with the spook squad.“

“All right.” Jack also relaxed a little. “If you’re willing to go to all of that trouble, I guess you care about him a lot.”

“I do.” Matt winced as something occurred to him. “Just, if you ever meet my friend, Freddy, promise me that you won’t tell him about the CIA stuff. He’d seriously freak.”

“You mean you still haven’t told the Wizard you’re doing projects for the CIA?” John had returned. From the amused look on his face, Matt was fairly sure he hadn’t overheard much of their conversation. His next words were addressed to his son. “Freddy’s a conspiracy nut, Jack. Government agencies that go by their initials make him mess his pants.”

“Freddy’s not so bad.” Matt felt the need to defend his friend. John didn’t push, showing he must be feeling particularly mellow. Although they’d come to an understanding of sorts for Matt’s sake, John and Freddy would never be pals.

When John let Lucy pick up the tab without much protest, Matt knew that John was probably exhausted; normally, he’d never think of letting his little girl pay. With a final wave to Bert, they retrieved the SUV and drove to John’s, where Lucy had left her car. The conversation in the vehicle was far more subdued and mostly about Jack’s plans for the rest of his visit. 

Matt rested his head on the back of his seat, turning his face to the side so he could watch the scenery slide by. The words washed over him and, suddenly, Matt realized that he was wiped out. He let his eyes close, but roused a few minutes later when there was a touch on his knee. When Matt rolled his head to look, he found John watching him with a worried expression.

“You okay?” The older man asked.

“Yeah, just tired.” Matt admitted. He felt like a wimp. John and Jack had been the ones with half of Russia chasing them with guns. Matt had been safe and sound in the good old US of A. Still, to Matt’s acute embarrassment, he’d been unable to sleep well with John gone. The detective worked lots of nights and that had never bothered Matt before. There was just something about knowing that his lover was out of the country that had unsettled Matt badly.

“We’ll be home soon.” John promised. His expression pledged more than his words – and not all of it was good. Matt knew from the sharp glance John gave his knee that his lack of a cane had been noticed and would be commented on later.

By the time they reached John’s brownstone, even Lucy was talked out. The McClane men got their bags out of the back and Lucy hustled Jack towards her car.

“I’ll see you before you head back to DC, right?” John asked his son as Matt hung back.

“Yeah.” Jack was every bit as awkward as his father. “I think they’ll be keeping me stateside for a while too.”

John rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that.”

“Nah.” Jack shrugged. “I think I’ll enjoy being home for a while.”

“Oh, for the love of-“ Lucy lost patience with them and stepped forward to give her dad a quick embrace. “I guess I’m the only one here man enough to hug. We’ll talk to you tomorrow, Dad.”

Jack smiled sheepishly, his eyes drifting briefly to Matt. “Yeah. I won’t be disappearing on you again.”

“Good.” John didn’t say anything more, but Matt could tell how much the promise meant to him.

Matt and John watched as Lucy and Jack got into her car and drive off. As the car got further away, Matt felt a twitch start in between his shoulder blades and he knew he was being observed.

“You want to tell me where your cane is?” John’s voice was deceptively mild.

Sighing, Matt turned around. “Didn’t think I’d need it just to go to the airport.”

And he hadn’t. Unfortunately, Matt had forgotten to take into consideration that they were going to a military airport and security had been even tighter than at a civilian one. There had been a lot of standing and walking, all of it on unforgiving concrete – and that had been after a long work day. 

“Yeah, right.” John wasn’t buying it, but didn’t press the point. “Come on, let’s get you inside and off that leg.”

Matt internalized his sigh. John was the one that looked like he’d gone a couple of rounds with Godzilla, but he was coddling Matt. It was hard to believe that he was the same John McClane who was protective of his kids, but wasn’t exactly known for spoiling them. Not wanting to mar John’s homecoming by sniping about it, Matt instead just silently followed the older man up the few steps to the doorway of the brick brownstone that they shared.

The silence lasted until they got the door unlocked and inside. John dumped his duffle on the floor with a groan as Matt closed up behind them. The detective stretched until his back audibly popped and then turned to his lover.

“What gives, Matty?” John asked.

“What?” Matt didn’t look at his him, just tried to slide by. He should have known better.

John gently stopped Matt and drew him into his arms. As he did, he buried his hair into Matt’s dark hair. “Been wantin’ to do this for ages.”

Matt leaned into John’s warmth. “Mmm. . . it is pretty nice.”

The two men stood for a few moments, soaking in each other’s presence. When Matt’s leg began to twitch in protest, however, John pulled back slightly.

“Couch.” It was not phrased as a request.

Without losing much body contact, the two men managed to maneuver onto the sofa. Matt ended up half draped across John. He would have been fine with being fully on top of the older man, but didn’t know how badly his lover was hurt. It would damage the mood entirely if Matt happened to put a knee or elbow into a sore spot. He put his head carefully on John’s chest with a sigh that was entirely content.

“Comfy?” John asked. 

“Mmmhmmm.” Matt patted the firm surface his head was pillowed on while his fingers automatically started a stroking pattern. “Welcome home.”

John grabbed his hand. “Nah-uh, none of that distracting stuff. Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

Matt raised his head, which took a lot more effort than it probably should have. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been awfully quiet, Matty.” John pointed out. “Ever since Jack and I stepped off the plane, you’ve hardly put two words together. You want to tell me what’s going on in that gigantic brain of yours?”

Shrugging, Matt laid his head back down. “Nothing, I just missed you.”

John petted Matt’s hair and for a glorious moment, Matt thought he’d gotten away with fooling the older man. Emotions, after all, were not a McClane’s strong suit. Any McClane.

“Is it because of Jack?” John asked after a few heartbeats, not only proving once again that he had persistence and but also maybe more emotional acuity than Matt had given him credit for. “Because he seemed to like you just fine.”

Matt shrugged. “He’s CIA.”

“You’re not Freddy, that’s not what’s bothering you.” John retorted. 

“The hell it’s not.” Matt sat up abruptly, whatever confidence he’d garnered from his solo talk with Jack at the restaurant long gone. “Your son’s James Bond, your daughter’s Xena the Warrior Princess and you. . . you’re the Terminator because nothing ever stops you.” He dropped his voice. “And me? I’m a nerd who went to Space Camp and my best friend lives in his mother’s basement.”

John’s eyes flashed with sudden anger, but his voice when he answered was surprisingly gentle. “For the smartest guy I know, you’re an idiot, Matty.” He wrapped an arm around Matt and pulled him back down, snuggling the younger man against himself before continuing. “You have a permanent limp because you saved my little girl. Jack’s impressive and I’m proud as hell of him, but he’s had the training. You haven’t – you haven’t even had police training – and you held your own when we were up against that bastard, Gabriel. Don’t you ever forget that. I’m proud of you too.”

His lover’s conviction caused Matt to relax a little. “I suppose.”

The two men were quiet for several minutes, but eventually John spoke again. “Did anyone give you a hard time while I was gone?” 

Matt did a lot of consulting work for government agencies and the local police. It wasn’t something he ever imagined himself doing, but he’d needed the money and was done with taking online jobs where he couldn’t vet his clients. Not all his new customers’ employees, though, appreciated having a semi-reformed hacker on the payroll, even as a consultant. Matt had dealt with his fare share of assholes, though, and had been able to hold his own. 

“Nah.” The last thing Matt needed was for John thinking he was a wuss.

“You’re usually a cocky little shit.” John wouldn’t let it drop. “There isn’t someone I have to go hurt, is there?”

Matt snorted. “Only if you can travel back in time.” Knowing John wouldn’t understand the reference, he went ahead and explained. “The ol’ ego took a pounding when I was a kid, especially high school. There was a time when my head got wet more often by getting dunked in a toilet bowl than it did in the shower. I think the jocks stuffed me in a locker more often than they bothered keeping books in one too.”

John’s grip tightened on Matt. “Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, but then I went to college and blossomed.” Matt grinned when John laughed at his choice of words. “Besides, I had my ten year high school reunion that same summer we met. My chief tormenter had been the captain of the football team. Turns out that he was good enough to be a big fish at our school, but not talented enough to get a college scholarship. Let’s just say that the post-high school years had not been kind to him. He was already fat, balding and recently been promoted to night manager at the local McD’s.”

“So Jack reminds you of a jock?”

Matt shrugged. “Just until I started talking to him.” He hesitantly met John’s eyes. “But he’s your son and I didn’t have the bonding benefit of being in a life and death situation with him like I did with Lucy. I wanted to make a good first impression.”

“Jack’s a smart kid,” John didn’t seem to be plagued by the same doubts that Matt was. “He’ll see that you’re good for me. You don’t have to worry about him giving you a hard time.”

The comment made Matt smirk. “So says the man that’s still frightened of my grandmother.”

John’s eyes widened in dismay. “Hey, she’s one scary nana.”

“She’s 4 foot 11 and one of the department’s police dogs probably outweighs her.” Matt countered. The easy banter helped him relax. . . as did the idea of Jack McClane being as intimidated by Matt’s tiny grandmother as John was.

“Yeah, well, in a fight between your nana and one of the canine officers, my money’s on granny.” John quipped. His arms tightened on Matt. “I haven’t seen you for days; you really want to be talking about our relatives?”

A sudden heat pooled in Matt’s belly. “No, as a matter of fact I don’t.”

“Good.” John smiled and then with typical McClane assertiveness, swooped in for a kiss.

Matt didn’t try to resist. In fact, he opened his mouth as his lover’s tongue pressed for entrance. As if his submission wasn’t enough, John wrapped a hand around the back of Matt’s neck, holding the younger man in place while he reacquainted himself with Matt’s mouth.

“Mmmm. . . .” Matt sighed happily as John left off plundering his mouth. “Welcome home.”

John rested his forehead against Matt’s. “Thanks. It’s good to be home.”

Matt smiled as he observed that John’s eyes were blown with desire. “You wanna take this upstairs so I can welcome you home properly?”

“Shower first,” John ran his hands up and down Matt’s sides, something that always made Matt’s skin shiver. “I was on a plane way too long.”

“Now that you mention it, you are a little ripe. I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you brought it up first.” Matt kept the smile from his face, but cracked a grin when John slapped him on the ass.

John kissed Matt again and manhandled the younger man off of his lap. He got to his feet and offered a hand to Matt. Matt grimaced, but found he needed the help. John overcompensated, pulling hard enough that Matt lost his footing and stumbled. John was prepared for it, easily catching his lover.

“Well, hello there.” John smiled down into Matt’s eyes. 

Matt leaned into John’s strength. “Hello yourself.” He reached up and kissed John lightly on the chin. “I missed you.”  
“Come on, I’ll make it up to you.” John led the way towards the stairs.

With John’s injuries and Matt’s bum leg, they had to help each other with the climb to the second floor. If John was a little more hands-on than he strictly needed to be, Matt wasn’t inclined to complain. When they got to the bedroom, Matt attempted to make a detour to the dresser, but was stopped by a strong grip on his arm.

“Where you goin’?” John demanded.

“Thought I’d get us some clean clothes,” Matt explained.

John smirked as he held out his hand. “Not gonna need ‘em, trust me, Matty.”

Matt shivered, but not with cold, as he allowed himself to be led in the other direction. “Okay.”

Once in the master bath, John dropped Matt’s hand long enough to get the shower going. As John reached, a tantalizing inch of skin was revealed when his shirt hitched up. Matt licked his lips and of course John turned around to see it. The older man smirked wider and Matt’s heart lurched; he’d missed that cocky expression.

“See something you like?” It was only two steps from the shower to where Matt was standing, but John still managed to swagger. 

“Yeah.” Busted, Matt didn’t try to deny it. 

John rested his hands on Matt’s hips and bent for a kiss in a motion that was tortuously slow. Matt leaned in to it, humming with pleasure as John claimed his mouth. His happy sound turned to one of dismay, though, as John stepped back all too soon.

“Hey,” Matt protested.

His complaint made John laugh, low and dirty. “Hang on there, babe. It’s time for me to see something I like.”

Matt shivered as John’s hands slid up from his hips and under his shirt. John’s thumbs rubbed circles on the small of Matt’s back as the older man leaned in again. This time, John skipped Matt’s mouth and went straight his neck, where the stubble on his chin scratched the sensitive skin as he sucked gently before biting softly. 

“Shit,” Matt exhaled as his knees wobbled. For once, the faltering had nothing to do with his bum leg.

John laughed again. He leaned away, his hands continuing their journey and this time taking Matt’s shirt with them. Matt felt goose bumps raise on his skin as the cool air hit. He kept his eyes locked on John’s face, though. The older man’s expression could only be called hungry and that still amazed Matt, that someone like John would find a nerd like him attractive. 

“You’re beautiful, Matty.” John stated, almost as though he could read Matt’s mind. 

Matt shook his head, but he’d learned not to argue. Instead, he reached for John’s shirt. “My turn.”

Unlike John, Matt was far too impatient to draw it out. He quickly lifted John’s shirt off, but what he saw dampened the mood. John’s torso was literally covered in cuts and bruises.

“Not sexy, huh?” The tone was casual, but when Matt looked up into John’s eyes, he could see some unease there.  
Before he answered, Matt deliberately leaned forward and placed a reverent kiss in the middle of John’s chest. “You’re alive, that’s the sexiest thing ever.”

Matt wasn’t a hypocrite. If John hadn’t been a hero, ‘That Guy’ in McClane-speak, then Matt would have died a hundred times over during the Fire Sale. He wasn’t going to ask John to give it up. Hell, Matt didn’t know if John could even give up being a hero if he tried; it was just a part of what made John who he was. It didn’t make it easier to see his lover banged up and know that he’d gotten those injuries putting his life on the line, but Matt could no more ask John to stop than he could ask him to quit breathing.

“Good thing for me you’re easy to please.” John smirked at him. 

“Easy to please?” Matt rolled his eyes. “You’ve never described me that way before.”

“First time for everything, Matty,” John pulled the younger man closer and kissed him soundly.

Matt knew he should be offended by the teasing, but he was too busy with John’s mouth. He lost himself in the wet heat, leaving no brain cells free to register mere words. Not even the pain from his knee intruded; the only thing that existed was John’s mouth – until John himself broke the spell by sliding his hands down the back of Matt’s pants and cupping his ass.

He groaned into the kiss, prompting a chuckle from his lover. “Like that, did you, Matty?”’

“You know I did,” Matt leaned forward, trying to capture John’s mouth again. To his frustration, John leaned away.

“Come on, Matt, shower.” John squeezed Matt’s ass and then withdrew his hands from Matt’s pants. “The hot water’ll be good for your knee.”

“Right now, I don’t care about my knee,” Matt protested, angling up to resume the kiss. “It’s fine.”

“Really?” John’s hands had come to rest on Matt’s hips, but he abruptly let go. Without the support, Matt’s leg almost immediately buckled and John was quick to grab him before he could fall. “That’s what I thought. Shower, now.”

“Fine.” Matt huffed.

“Don’t pout.” John, damn him, was smirking. “If you’re good, I’ll even wash your back for you.”

Matt gave him the one-finger salute, but abandoned any additional protest as a lost cause. If John McClane’s mind was set on a shower, then there was going to be a shower. He began to unbutton his jeans, but his fingers were almost immediately slapped away.

“Let me.” 

Matt gladly let the older man take over. Despite his earlier words, John took his sweet time unbuttoning Matt’s jeans and lowering the zipper. Matt kept his eyes down, shivering and remaining docile as John’s hands slipped down his pants again. John took a moment to rub circles on Matt’s hipbones with his thumbs before sliding Matt’s jeans off his hips. For once, Matt was content to be silent as he obediently stepped out of them. 

“Jesus, what you do to me, kid.”

John’s voice had a delicious rasp to it and Matt lifted his face at the sound. He liked what he saw. John’s eyes were full of desire and there was no question, not even for Matt, of who that desire was for. 

Much to Matt’s disappointment, John took advantage of his momentary distraction to strip out of the rest of his own clothes. 

“C’mon, Matty, in you go,” John put his arm around Matt’s waist and helped him into the shower. “Hot water’ll only last so long.”

Matt immediately grabbed for one of the support bars that John’d had installed back when Matt moved in. They’d been a necessity in the first months as his leg had healed, but now Matt only needed to make use of them when he was particularly tired. Once he and John had become lovers, however, they’d found a whole new set of uses for them. Matt flushed at the memories, but was under no illusions that they’d be using them for recreational purposes this time. Neither of them was up for that.

The water was the perfect temperature and Matt moaned softly as the spray hit his skin. John chuckled as he joined him.

“Feel good, huh?” 

It hadn’t taken long for Matt’s hair to get wet and he flipped it out of his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at John. Sure enough, the older man was smirking at him; damn him for being right. Again. “Asshole.”

John ran his hands up Matt’s back and the light scratch of his calloused hands over the slickness of Matt’s wet skin made Matt shiver. Matt reached up and wrapped his hand around the back of John’s neck, pulling his lover down for a kiss. It started out chaste, but soon deepened.

It was John who pulled away first. Matt made a frustrated sound and surged forward to continue, but stopped when John shook his head. John brought his hands up to cup the back of Matt’s head, waiting until their foreheads were touching before saying anything.

“Want you so bad, Matty.” John’s whisper was hoarse. “But on a bed.”

“Bed,” Matt repeated in a haze. He licked his bottom lip before answering. “I can do that.”

Putting action to words, Matt reached for the shower gel. He smirked a little as he always did at its very presence. John had given him hell for introducing such a girly product, but that had lasted only until Matt showed him that the gel, like the support bars, could be put to more than one use. Matt was tempted to tease John – again – about becoming a metrosexual, but one look at his lover’s face and he knew it wasn’t a good idea. He could see by the older man’s expression that John was on a razor’s edge. A razor’s edge of what, Matt wasn’t sure and he had a feeling that he didn’t really want to find out.

Silently, he held the bottle up and, once John put his hand out, squirted some on it. Matt got some gel for himself and put the bottle back on the wire shower caddy. He rubbed his hand together before gently applying them to John’s chest. He was careful to navigate around the obvious cuts and bruises, but making sure he otherwise made contact with every inch of skin. It was if he couldn’t convince himself that John was really safely home until he’d touched every part of him.  
John didn’t protest the worshipful nature of the touch, which spoke volumes of the older man’s state of mind. Normally, John preferred to lavish that kind of attention on Matt, not receive it himself. In fact, neither man spoke. The two lovers remained silent as they showered together, peppering each other’s skin with kisses even as they sluiced suds and water over one another.

“One last thing,” John eventually broke the spell. He reached beyond Matt and grabbed the shampoo bottle. 

Matt’d soon discovered after becoming John’s lover that the older man loved to wash his hair. It made sense, since John had so little of his own. It was one thing that Matt never gave him crap about, since he quickly realized he enjoyed having his hair washed as much as John loved doing it.

Obediently tilting his head back, Matt groaned when he felt John’s fingers start to massage in the shampoo. He grabbed for the support bar, his knees weakening even as his cock began to harden at the sensation.

“Me too, Matty,” John leaned close enough to brush up against Matt, showing his lover that he was hardening too. “Come on, time to rinse.”

It was the shortest hair-washing session in history, but Matt didn’t complain. As pleasurable as the shower had been, he was as eager as John to move on to the next step in reconnecting.

After the shampoo was out of his hair, Matt turned the water off. John’s arms wrapped around him from behind and the older man rested his chin on Matt’s shoulder. The position meant that John’s growing erection was nestled against Matt’s ass, hot and heavy with promise.

“Come on, Matty,” John’s tender tone was at odds with his flippant words. “Let’s go get dirty again.”

Matt arched his head back, offering up his neck. John obligingly nibbled. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

John left off with Matt’s neck and got out of the shower, turning to offer a hand to Matt. The warm water had done the trick; Matt’s knee was no longer as stiff as it had been when they got home. While he didn’t make the most graceful shower exit in the world, at least he was in no danger of falling on his ass.

“Here, kid.” John tossed Matt a towel. 

With the way that the older man had been coddling him during the shower, Matt was surprised that John wouldn’t be taking care of drying him off too. The question of why was answered moments later when Matt first swiped the soft cloth over his own skin. It would have been nearly torture to endure the older man running the towel over Matt’s hypersensitive flesh. As it was, Matt could only manage a couple of passes before it was too much. 

Matt quickly rubbed his hair half-heartedly and tossed the towel aside. “Fuck it, that’s dry enough.” He reached an impatient out to John.

John looked like he was going to protest, but apparently thought better of it. “I guess neither one of us will melt.” He took Matt’s offered hand with a smile. “Come on.”

The short walk from the bathroom to the bedroom felt like miles, but was made bearable by the kisses the two men exchanged with every step. It was a distinct relief to feel the back of his knees bump against the mattress and Matt sank down onto it gratefully. He was even more grateful for the way John followed, lowering himself onto Matt’s prone form and pressing him even more firmly into the surface of the bed.

“Finally.” John smirked as he settled his weight over Matt.

Matt grinned up at him as he deliberately wigged his hips. “Welcome home.”

Since the two lover’s faces were inches apart, Matt could easily see the need in John’s eyes. “God, I missed you, Matty.”

Matt leaned up and caught John’s lips with his. He kissed John as deeply as possible, hoping he impressed on the older man that he’d missed John every bit as much. Apparently, he succeeded, because when their lips parted, John’s eyes were even darker with desire.

“Get on your side, Matty.” John’s voice was hoarse and Matt knew the older man was just as affected by their reunion as he was.

As Matt turned to obey, he felt John moving around behind him. By the time he was situated on his side with his head pillowed on his arm, John had returned to the bed.

“Here you go, babe.” 

A soft white object was plopped in front of him and Matt grinned as he recognized it. The wedge-shaped pillow was an old friend from the early days of Matt’s recovery from being shot in the leg. He’d needed it in the first weeks to keep his knee elevated at night. Eventually he’d gotten better and had no longer needed the extra support, but like the safety bars in the shower, he and John had found a new use for it.

“Thank God for washable covers,” Matt murmured. 

John kissed him on the shoulder. “Come on, Matty. Saddle up.”

With a shiver of anticipation, Matt pulled the pillow closer and used it to support his knee as he spread his legs. The position had the added benefit of making his ass more accessible. Sure enough, he’d barely gotten comfortable before he felt a slick finger teasing the opening to his body.

“Remember this, Matty?” John’s warm breath teased the back of Matt’s neck. “Just like old times.”

When they’d first become lovers, they’d both still been recovering from gunshot wounds and Matt’s knee had limited the positions he could tolerate. To compensate, they’d made love on their sides, with John spooned behind Matt. It seemed fitting that it was the position they’d use after being separated.

“How could I forget?” Matt wiggled against John, encouraging the older man.

John’s fingers dipped between Matt’s ass checks. “I know I never will.”

Matt closed his eyes to better concentrate on John’s touch. The older man’s slick finger circled Matt’s opening, but he only teased for a moment. Matt moaned softly as he felt the finger slide inside. 

“That’s good, Matty.” John’s voice was rough as kissed the back of Matt’s neck. “Gonna make you feel so good.”

And, as usual, John kept his promise.

The mattress felt like a cloud as Matt lay as quietly as he could, waiting while John prepared him. It felt like it was taking forever, but Matt was content to wait. Even burning with desire, Matt was always aware of how big his lover was. He was too smart to invite that kind of pain and besides, John was far too protective to allow it to happen.

As John worked Matt open, he murmured soft endearments, bending once in a while to bestow a kiss on Matt’s spine. As he let the older man’s voice wash over him, Matt felt the last ache from missing John finally ease. He sank into the mattress with a soft hum of pleasure, his eyes closed to better focus on John’s touch.

“Don’t go to sleep on me there, Matty.” 

Matt didn’t need to open his eyes to know that John was smiling at him. “Not a chance, babe. Just living in the moment.”  
John leaned over him and kissed him deeply. “I think you’re ready. Come on, Matty, get ready for me.” The older man reinforced the request with a pat on Matt’s hip.

It was unnecessary; Matt didn’t need to be told twice.

After bringing the pillow closer, Matt braced his leg on it, allowing him to open up even more to John without adding too much stress to his knee. Even as he made his arrangements, however, Matt was keenly aware of John maneuvering behind him. By the time Matt was ready, John had positioned himself closely behind Matt’s smaller form and was gently mouthing the skin of the younger man’s shoulder. 

Matt didn’t bother to say anything. He just rubbed back against his lover, knowing that John would understand.

And John did.

Bracing himself against Matt with one large hand splayed against younger man’s hip, John rubbed the head of his cock against Matt’s puckered opening. Much to Matt’s relief, his lover didn’t tease, instead pressing forward until the head of his cock breached Matt’s body.

“Yessss,” Matt moaned, arching his back at the slow burn that came from being penetrated.

John kissed the back of Matt’s neck. “Hell, yeah.”

In between kisses, John continued to slide his cock inside Matt, finally becoming fully seated inside the younger man. Instead of starting to thrust, however, John instead spooned tightly against the younger man and pressed a kiss to Matt’s shoulder. “Now I’m home.”

Matt clenched his muscles around the welcome invader in his ass, reveling in feeling that connection to his lover. “Prove it – make me feel you’re where you should be.”

“Yes, sir,” John replied. For once, there was no hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

John leaned forward to bestow a sloppy kiss on Matt’s jaw, the movement grinding him inside of Matt’s ass. Both men gasped, but much to Matt’s relief, John didn’t waste any time getting busy. He began shifting his hips back and forth, making unhurried thrusts into Matt’s willing body.

“Don’t stop,” Matt shamelessly begged. “I want to feel you.”

“You will, Matty,” John began making stronger thrusts. “You will.”

In a perfect world, their coupling would have lasted forever – or at least felt like it had. The world wasn’t perfect, however, and they were only human. Their separation hadn’t even been that long, but had been filled with danger for John and worry for Matt. In all too short a time, Matt sensed that the pleasure that had been building was about to reach its crescendo.

“John,” his voice was ragged. “I’m close.”

“Bring me home, Matty.” John increased his pace, twisting his hips to hit the sweet spot inside Matt. “Go for it.”

The good thing about making love on their side was that Matt didn’t need both arms to brace himself. He kept one hand clutching the mattress so that John’s thrusts didn’t move him across the bed and brought the other one up to his rigid cock, fisting it with movements that echoed the way John that was pushing into him. It didn’t take long. “John, I’m gonna-. . . .”

Before Matt could finish warning his lover he was about to come, he was doing it. As he ejaculated, he would have sworn he saw stars in front of his eyes, even as his ass clamped down on John’s cock. John’s cry, the warmth flooding his ass, and an intense wave of pleasure that crashed over him were the last things Matt was aware of for a few moments.

“Breathe, Matty, breathe.”

Matt came back to himself slowly. He was still on the bed with John, but had been moved onto his back. A clearly worried John McClane hovered over him. 

“Welcome home.” Matt was almost too wiped out to smile, but he must have managed something because John relaxed a little.

“The things you do to me, Matty.” John shook his head. “Jesus.”

Matt patted the bed next to him. “Come here.”

John smirked, but didn’t say anything. He instead moved the covers back, positioning first Matt and then himself underneath. Once John was settled, Matt draped himself across John’s body. He kissed the skin of John’s chest before snuggling close.

“Not leaving again, Matty,” John’s voice was rough with pending sleep. Calloused fingers carded through Matt’s hair.  
“Good,” Matt replied, even as he knew that it was a promise that John couldn’t keep. 

If one of his kids were in trouble or if there was something like another fire sale, Matt knew that John McClane would be in the thick of things again. Frankly, Matt wouldn’t have it any other way. John was “That Guy” through and through. It was part of what made John the man that Matt loved. Until the next crisis, though, Matt would savor every stress free moment he had with his lover.

Worn out from welcoming his lover home, Matt contentedly fell asleep.

~the end~


End file.
